Name
ERASMUS
Overview
Erasmus is the European Commission's flagship educational
programme for Higher Education students, teachers, and
institutions. It was introduced with the aim of increasing student
mobility within Europe. Erasmus forms part of the EU Lifelong
Learning Programme (2007-2013). It encourages student and staff
mobility for work and study, and promotes trans-national cooperation projects among universities across Europe. The scheme
currently involves nine out of every ten European higher education
establishments and supports co-operation between the universities
of 31 countries.
Opportunities to study and work abroad through Erasmus are
available in a small number of Oxford courses, usually the BA in
Modern Languages, the BA in Law with Law Studies in Europe, the
Masters in Biochemistry, and the Masters in Physics and
Philosophy.
Programmes
Information for outgoing students

Student Mobility

Erasmus Workplacement and Language Assistantships
Information for Teacher Mobility
New
agreements for
2010-2011
The period for renewal and signature of new agreements for Student
Mobility and Teacher Mobility during 2010-2011 will run from
October 2009 to the end of February 2010.
FOR ADMINISTRATIVE PURPOSES ALL THE AGREEMENTS
SHOULD CONTAIN THE NAMES OF THE PARTICIPANTS.
Academic Coordinators at the University of Oxford:
Please use this template and send the agreement approved for
signature to the Erasmus Institutional Coordinator by email to:
Erasmus@admin.ox.ac.uk or by internal mail to:
Erasmus Institutional Coordinator
Examination Schools
75-81 High Street
Please remember:
a) The academic interested in signing a new agreement will become
the “Academic Coordinator” (representative of this agreement at the
University of Oxford) and will be responsible for the entire academic
(liasing with our partner university) and the administrative
arrangements (college placement of incoming students).
b) The exchange works on reciprocal basis; therefore, we only
accept the amount of students we are able to send away. To prevent
issues with college fees and college placements.
c) Incoming students do not pay tuition fees neither college fees
(those are covered by the outgoing student)
d) Outgoing students will be liable for tuition and college fees unless
they are Home/EU undergraduate away on Erasmus for the full
year (at least 24 weeks excluding weekends and the usual
vacations).
e) The incoming student should be placed in the college of our
outgoing student; this will facilitate the administrative paperwork for
college placement. Please organise this arrangements in advance to
prevent last minute delays.
Partner Universities:
Please request a template from the Oxford Erasmus Co-ordinator.
Once you have completed this template, please send it to the
Academic Coordinator in the relevant Faculty/Department at the
University of Oxford for their approval. The Academic Coordinator is
the person you have established communication concerning this
agreement and will be responsible for the entire academic
(exchange agreement) and the administrative arrangements (college
placement of incoming students).
N.B. Please do not send any agreements to the Erasmus
Institutional Coordinator, as the agreement should have their
approval before its signature.
FOR ADMINISTRATIVE PURPOSES ALL THE AGREEMENTS
SHOULD CONTAIN THE NAMES OF THE PARTICIPANTS.
Erasmus Policy The University of Oxford aims to achieve and sustain excellence in
Statement
every area of its teaching and research. One of the objectives of its
Corporate Plan is to encourage changes in course structure that
would allow increased student mobility. It also aims to enable
departments to build teaching collaborations, both nationally and
internationally. In line with this objective, the University intends to
focus its Erasmus activities on staff and student mobility. It will
participate in appropriate thematic networks and explore the
introduction of Erasmus work placements.
The University has a number of well-established Erasmus student
mobility programmes. These have brought benefit to participating
students and to their peers who have gained from the different
perspectives brought to their subject by incoming scholars. In order
to encourage the development of new links and the
internationalisation of its programmes, the University intends to
support the extension of Erasmus exchanges to new subject areas.
It will continue to promote the benefits within its colleges and
departments and will support academic staff setting up exchange
programmes in Europe and elsewhere.
The University will guarantee the highest quality in the organisation
of student mobility, whilst ensuring equal academic treatment and
services to home and Erasmus students; to this end, each incoming
Erasmus student will continue to be matriculated and become a fully
integrated member of a college.
The opportunity to take part in teacher exchanges is important for
the personal development of Oxford staff. The University also
welcomes visiting academic staff and the contribution they make to
its teaching programmes and curriculum development.
The Erasmus programme is promoted at the Freshers’ Fair, and
throughout the University. In addition, the academic co-ordinators in
each subject area publicise their exchanges within their
departments, including organising events involving returning
Erasmus students. The International Office also promotes the
programme on the University website. As well as placing the
Erasmus Charter and EPS on the University website, copies will be
circulated to all departments.
All students selected to take part in exchange programmes will be
chosen on the basis of merit and their potential to benefit from the
experience; the University selects students without regard to sex,
race, ethnic origin, religion or social background; applications from
students with disabilities are viewed on exactly the same academic
grounds as those of other candidates. The University is also
committed to making arrangements to enable students with
disabilities to participate as fully as possible in student life.
The University is committed to ensuring the quality of programmes
offered to students in Oxford and during study periods abroad. It is
working towards identification of its courses according to the
proposed national credit framework for the UK and the ECTS; whilst
there are currently no plans to introduce formal ECTS arrangements
for its courses, it will allow students to see the normal credit
attached to its courses under the two schemes. Periods of study
undertaken by its students under the Erasmus framework receive
full academic recognition and do not lead to an increase in the
overall length of course of study. Academic departments will
continue to work with partner institutions to ensure that incoming
students receive reports, which enable them to receive appropriate
credit from their home university.
All students work under the supervision of a tutor or supervisor, and
are required to keep in contact with them while on exchange. All
academic co-ordinators arrange pre-departure meetings for the
outgoing students, who are encouraged to seek advice from the
previous year’s outgoing students. The reports of outgoing students
on their time abroad are monitored to enable any problems to be
identified and discussed with partner institutions. Each incoming
student is allocated a tutor or supervisor who is responsible for
overseeing their studies whilst at Oxford; pastoral support is be
provided by the student’s college. The majority of incoming
exchange students will be housed in their college; however, where
this is not possible, incoming students will be given assistance in
finding accommodation. All incoming Erasmus students have access
to the University’s Language Centre, which Oxford students may
also use to enable them to improve their linguistic skills prior to the
study abroad.
Teacher exchanges are valued and encouraged as part of the
University’s policy to continue to develop bilateral and multilateral
partnerships.
As with academic mobility activities, student work placements will be
subject to the Notes of Guidance on Placement Learning, as set out
by the University’s Educational Policy and Standards Committee.
For any work placement that may be introduced, each student will
be provided with a Learning Agreement concerning the programme
placement period; the University and the host organisation will
endorse this agreement. A clear agreement between those
representing the University and the placement provider on the
purposes of the placement, and the responsibilities of the parties
involved is recognised as being an important means of
demonstrating that there is a shared understanding both of what is
to be provided and what the student can legitimately expect, and
also that the University – which is ultimately responsible for the
provision – is in a position to monitor and evaluate all aspects of the
student’s placement.
The student’s tutor or supervisor will be in regular contact with the
student, and will be able to monitor the student’s progress during the
placement. On the student’s return, they will have to certify that they
have completed the agreed programme of work. This system is
designed to help ensure the highest quality in the organisation of
student placements. The host higher education institution for the
period spent abroad gives full recognition.
Last updated
mlsm 30/09/09